


The Match

by Dildo_Swaggins_T_Baggins



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Crushes, Fluff, Jousting, M/M, Mentions Forte/Bass, Mentions Rock, Mute Zero
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 07:59:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11755464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dildo_Swaggins_T_Baggins/pseuds/Dildo_Swaggins_T_Baggins
Summary: He knows that the prince isn't like his father, he'll do anything to prove that, even get on a horse and get a face full of wooden spear.Heavily inspired by the works of KinFletcher, and 'A Knight's Tale'.





	The Match

Nerve wracking was nothing to how he felt, his tongue stuck to his roof, his shoulders were shaking, he could feel his heart smashing into his ribcage. Half of him wanted to hide in the stables, under the hay, other half of him couldn’t help but stare. Across the small field where two men with massive jousts were on horses and trying to knock the other off, wound them, some even try to kill. But behind the horses, the men who fell in pain, was the royal accommodations. The king who was rather frail and weak looking, but still held a mad look in his eye, he was the one who ordered death, wars, and violence like this. Then there was an empty chair, not much is known about the older lost prince, some say he had more madness than the king, others say the king killed him. And finally there was the younger prince, the cold icy one. The prince was known for a lot, how he rarely spoke (some say his mad father cut out his tongue), his strength, but most of all this thick freezing air around him.

But he knew better, or that’s what he kept telling himself, X froze for a moment, just as another pair clashed. Blue eyes slid over to him, narrowing, pinning him there will a thousand microscopic needles of ice. He curled his fists forcing to stare back at him, the prince blinked in surprise, jumping as a hand was placed on his shoulder. X turned away, his back against the wooden wall, he won the staring contest, now if he could only with one joust.

“Oi!” X’s eyes snapped open. “Boy your turn, hope you at least get a cool scar.” The fat man bellowed at him.

He shook himself, mounting his horse as a servant handed him his joust, directing them to the arena. Halting the horse at the end of the fence, staring at his opponent as their horse marched out. He was shaking, visibly, this was the most reckless thing he’s ever done in his whole life.

A kid held out a flag in the middle of them, looking at each rider, then simply waving it down and running away from them.

X swallowed, his heart pounding, shifting his eyes just once looking at the prince through the helmet before kicking his horse. The prince was white, his eyes wide, for once he showed an emotion, fear.

X finally looked back, seeing the tip of the joust, only thinking one simple thing ‘oh shit’.

 

The morning dew felt nice against his skin, soaking in as he laid still. Slowly he peeled open his eyes, hearing the stream only a few feet away. He slept outside again, he found it harder to sleep inside after his older brother’s disappearance. Blinking away the spell of slumber before he wiped the ‘sand’ from his eyes, just in time to see the morning sun.

X sat up, the fog was thick, it crawled along the forest floor, skulking in the bushes and along the trees. Yet the sun was barely out the sky was blackish blue, not even a bird stirred. How strange that he didn’t wake up with the sun but before it, he used to watch the sunrise waiting for his brother. But that was no more.

But what woke him?

He froze hearing a snap of a twig behind him, instantly X got to his feet crawling along the grass to hide behind a bush. Not once making a sound. He stilled seeing a creature he was sure he’d never see here in his whole life. It was tall, slender, but muscle hid under those fabrics, long hair dangled from the head, and blue eyes cut through the fog with ease. X cupped his mouth trying to mute his breathing as they stepped out from the forest to the stream’s bank.

At first X thought it was a girl who was lost, but the longer he stared the more dissbelief consumed him. It wasn’t a girl, no girl in the whole kingdom had that long and that perfect of hair. The creature was very far from any girl X had ever seen. “The Prince.” He whispered to himself, quickly clenching his jaw shut.

The prince looked at the stream, then checking around the bank, narrowing his eyes, searching for anyone. He blinked for a moment, sighing as his shoulders sunk down, then his whole self relaxed as he sat down in the grass.

X knew the prince was around his age, young, really young, far too young to be left alone in the woods. But that didn’t shock him as much as the scars on the prince’s arms. Each one deep, some straight lines, others a mash of deformed skin. He’d been training to fight by the looks of it, and at his age. X couldn’t even pick up a sword yet some of these looked like they were from maces.

The Prince stared out at the stream, slowly the fog began to fade as the morning sun rose. X clenched his teeth as his muscles screamed for him to move, to stop crouching, he craved blood flow. He lost his balance. “Gah!” He squeaked out falling to his side away from his cover.

The Prince shot up, wide eyed staring down at him, looking like a frightened deer.

X groaned, enjoying the feeling of laying down, opening his eyes to the unhappy face of the prince. “Morning.” He flashed a goofy smile.

The Prince hissed, rolling his eyes before turning away and sitting down.

“S...sorry.” X said as he stood up stretching. “I guess you wanted to be alone, sorry I’ve been sleeping outside since my brother disappeared.”

The prince stared at him in minor shock.

“I’ll just leave…” X held up his hands.

“What was your brother like?”

He froze, that was the Prince's voice, the Prince never spoke, he used to in public but then the oldest Prince was there. “Uhh…” He turned around seeing the Prince was staring at him emotionless as he always was.

“Sit.” X hesitated to do what the Prince said, that was until the patted the grass next to him. X took the seat trying to stare out and not allow himself to be consumed by the fact that the Prince was next to him. “What was your brother like?”

X took a moment to recall what Rock was truly like. “Umm… He looked like me, but much older and had a slightly rounder face...he was...happy, even if we are pensants, he was just happy.” He licked his lips. “I looked up to him, and my older sister Roll, they’ve raised me, my mother died giving birth to me, and my dad was lost at sea. But my brother, from a young age promised that we’d have food on the table, he was 10 when I was born. He didn’t go to school instead he worked where he could, Roll took care of me and worked at the same time, but when Rock came home he took over.” X smiled. “I remember he used to come home really late, his face cleaned, a faint pink in his cheeks, those night he always had extra bread for us. I never found out where he got it.” X shrugged. “But he was more alive those nights, even carrying Roll off to bed, and then reading me a story before bed. I miss those nights…”

The Prince was quiet for a moment. “The people didn’t like my brother for the longest time, my father hated him, but I loved him.” He cleared his throat. “He was 12 when I was born, we were only half siblings, yet he loved me. My mother ran off after I was born, and the maids stayed away from me, so he raised me. We did everything together, ate, slept, even steal food together. But he never took me to training, he refused to, but every time he came back he was bruised and battered. He never took me out at night, even if he stayed out for hours, he told me to stay in his room no matter what, but every time he went he took food, mostly bread, sometimes meat.” The Prince licked his lips, finishing his short tale.

“I guess we’re both grieving, how long has he been gone?” X pulled his knees up hugging them.

“Two years, he ran off, not before saying goodbye to me, saying to never give into the king, to not become what he wanted me to be. And like that he was gone, and I refused to talk to anyone since.”

“Until now, huh, funny that mine disappeared two years ago too, he said his goodbyes like he was going to work, but never came home…” X started out, watching the water roll down the rocks. “I cried every night, kept telling myself he’d come back…”

“But he didn’t…” The Prince finished.

The birds sung around them, the sun was climbing into the sky, the stream trickled providing a lovely atmosphere.

“Tell me, what’s your name?” The Prince asked.

“X, and your’s?”

“Strange name.” He dodged the question.

“It was the only letter my mother could say before passing, my brother and sister never got my full name. What’s your name?” X asked, turning to the Prince.

“Zero, my father changed it when my brother ran off he told me I’d never amount to anything. So he changed it to nothing, kinda fitting for a mute prince.”

“But you’re not mute, and you’re not nothing.” X frowned, he knew the king was cruel but not to his own children.

The Prince scoffed. “I try to make up for what my brother did, and to prove I’m not nothing. I train hard, push myself in my studies, I threw away my childhood the moment my brother left.”

X gasped, everyone assumed that Zero was some brat for being mute. “Then why are you out here?”

Zero shrugged. “I just wanted to get away from that mad old fart.”

He’d never heard anyone call the king such, not even in private. “When you become king, what would you do?”

Zero took a moment. “Make the people happy, but I’m not sure I know happiness anymore.” He then turned to X. “Can you tell me the last time you were happy?”

X though. “I think the last time when I was truly happy was when my brother came home with bread and cookies. Roll was already half asleep in her chair, and I was waiting for him, he came in setting the bags on the table picking me up and hugging me, telling me everything about his day. And then he woke up Roll handing her a cookie, then giving me one. That was the first time I tasted a cookie.” He thought of the memory warmly, he missed Rook dearly.

“Do you think I could bring that happiness to the kingdom?” Zero asked, pulling up grass by the handfuls.

X smiled, it was a sad smile but a smile. “I hope you do.”

They stayed like that, pulling up grass and chatting softly, as the sun climbed up.

The Prince got to his feet. “I have to go.”

“Hey, Zero?” X stood up after him. “It’s nice having a friend.”

He smiled, something X was sure the Prince could never do. “Thank you… my friend.” He watched Zero walk slowly away, disappearing into the forest.

 

X jerked awake, jumping up but screaming in pain as he fell back down. Hissing as he looked around, anything to distract him from the pain. He was in a tent, a medical tent. He was on a wooden table, and he had a bandage right by his left shoulder, and blood was soaking into it.

X bit his lip. “Stupid.” He thought back to the match, he lost, and now he had to explain to Roll the wound, and the bill. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” He shut his mouth as the sound of footsteps caught his attention.

“You see my Prince, he’s perfectly fine…” The doctor stood over X. “He’s even waking up.”

The Prince narrowed his eyes, carefully peeling back the bandage, looking down. He simply nodded, snapping and pointing to the entrance to the tent. The doctor scurried out, he waited a moment before closing the tent up.

X tried to sit up, hissing in pain.

“Stay still.” Zero snapped, turning towards him.

X stopped sinking back down. “How bad is it?”

“You’ll live, but bad enough that I left the tournament had to sneak back to see, so bad enough to piss me off.” He grabbed a brown bottle, lifting X’s bandage. “This’ll sting.” He said before pouring it onto the wound.

It bubbled as X gasped at the pain. “The hell?”

“If it get’s infected you’ll have to chop off your arm, so it’s not gonna get infected. But that piece of shit doctor won’t even sew you up.” Zero snarled, grabbing a needle and thick thread, he hovered the needle in a candle flame for a moment before threading it. “Another inch to your right and that would’ve been your heart.” He shook his head, sitting down next to X. “This is also gonna hurt.”

X bit his tongue as the needle pierced his skin, but slowly the pain became normal as Zero started to sew him shut. “Good to see you again.”

Zero was quiet for a moment. “It’s a law now, you’re not allowed to joust again.”

X pouted. “What do I have to do to get your attention?”

Zero cut the end of the string, tying it shut. Then looked into X’s eyes. “And why would you want to do that?”

X frowned. “I thought we were ‘friends’, can’t we talk?”

“No with the king, the moment he finds out I’m talking to a peasant the moment he might rip out my tongue.” Zero blinked. “But what do you want to talk about?”

X froze, he didn’t know, it had been years since they’ve even seen one another. “Uhh, how are you?”

Zero rolled his eyes, sighing. “Fine, you?”

“Fine...My sister’s no longer working and is sick, so I’ve been trying my hardest to help her and keep wood in the fireplace.”

Zero stood up. “What are the symptoms?”

“Uh, glassy eyes, runny nose, and scratchy throat, but she’s weak, really weak.”

He returned with three more bottles. “This one in the morning, this one with anything she drinks, and this one at night. Just a spoon full, and she’ll need to eat, a lot.”

“Zero, what am I gonna do with these? Steal them?”

“No, I’m buying them and gifting them to you.” Zero put them in X’s bag. “No buts.”

X groaned. “Okay.”

“Oh, and this.” He showed X two more bottles. “Cover your wound with this every night and morning, and just a mouthful of this every morning.”

“Okay, okay.” X sighed, Zero sounded more like a doctor than a prince. “My question is where am I gonna get the food for my sister?”

“I’ll get it.” Zero said plainly, shrugging if it was nothing.

X stared at him. “Thank you, but, why?”

Zero returned to his side, leaning down. “You’re the only person in the whole kingdom that has heard me talk.” He licked his lips. “The only person who I call friend.” He check to make sure there was no prying eyes. “And the only person who I want to make love to.” he leaned down suddenly, kissing X. X gasped into the kiss, with his own good arm he grabbed onto Zero, pushing himself up to deepen the kiss. They pulled back, panting for air, looking at one another’s eyes. “The moment I become king the moment you too will become king.”

“Will the people allow that?” X asked, his heart still racing.

“I think they’ll overlook that once you help me fix this place.” he gave a small smile, kissing X again. “You’re forbidden to joust again.” He turned away, towards the entrance.

“Hey, Zero…” Zero stopped. “I will, I’ll be you king, and thank you.”

Zero scoffed. “Just wait.” And like that Zero was gone, leaving X to ponder over what just happened, and a little smile stuck to his face. X remembered what it was like to be happy again.


End file.
